TRS, AIMIM welcome announcement of LS poll schedule

The ruling TRS and its ally AIMIM in Telangana Sunday welcomed the announcement of Lok Sabha poll schedule.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi hoped that his party and TRS would sweep the election in the state.

"I am thankful to the Election Commission for holding elections on April 11. I am very grateful to them. It's very important that Andhra and Telangana will go into elections together.

So, level playing field would be there for both the states," he told reporters here.

"I think this is very important.. Good decision has been taken.. On April 11 polling would be held," he said.

"God willing, people of Telangana would give 17-0 verdict. 16 for TRS, one for MIM," he added.

 

The total number of Lok Sabha seats in Telangana is 17.

He expressed confidence that YSR Congress led by Y S Jaganmohan Reddy would win more than 21 Lok Sabha seats (out of the total 25) in Andhra Pradesh.

Asked if he would support YSR Congress during poll campaign, he said he is there for his "friend" Jaganmohan Reddy if and when the latter required his help.

"Winning 17-0 seats will be a huge victory for people of Telangana wherein they will decide who forms the next government," he said.

He also claimed that Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao would be able to do much more for Telangana if TRS wins 16 seats.

Asserting that his party was ready for the election any anytime, TRS MLC Palla Rajeshwar Reddy said, "We are already on the job. Our almost seven constituencies initial meetings are completed."

"We are in thick and thin of the election activity. We are welcoming the dates. Our entire electioneering has started," he told PTI.

The announcement of candidates for the Lok Sabha polls is likely to be made at the time of nominations, he said.

AICC spokesperson Sravan Dasoju told PTI that the election would not be a cakewalk for TRS though the regional party claims that it would win 16 seats.

The election would mainly be a contest between BJP and the Congress, he said.

Alleging that TRS indulged in "misuse" of official machinery during the December 7 Assembly polls, he said the Election Commission should take concrete measures to ensure that the Lok Sabha polls are held in a free and fair manner.

BJP sources said state party president K Laxman would be attending an emergency meeting with party Chief Amit Shah in Delhi on Monday.

Meanwhile, Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar told reporters that election in the state would be held on April 11.

The election notification in Telangana would be issued on March 18 and the last date for filing nominations would be March 25.

The Election Commission announced the poll schedule for Lok Sabha elections that would be held in seven phases starting April 11 to May 19, and the results would be out on May 23.